Mirror Image
by Greesha
Summary: Sha're comes through the quantum mirror - but she's not the Sha're that Daniel remembers. Alternate universe.


TITLE: Mirror Image  
AUTHOR: Greesha  
E-MAIL:  
RATING: R  
CATEGORY: Alternate universe, angst, Daniel/Sha're ship.  
SUMMARY: Sha're comes through the quantum mirror – but she's not the Sha're that Daniel remembers.  
RELATED EPISODES: "Children of the Gods," "There But For the Grace of God," "Point of View."  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The story takes place at the end of Season 1, before (or instead of) "There But For the Grace of God." Thanks to Mr Prophet for the plot bunny, Danele for beta-ing, and Edren for supplying the title.  
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Stargate or any of the characters. I deny the unfounded rumors that Daniel is currently being held in a cage in my room. 

_The mirror never sees itself. The reflection never is itself.  
- J. Gregory Keyes, "Babylon 5: The Dark Genesis: The Birth of the Psi Corps."_

The Stargate opened into darkness, bathing the abandoned room in an eerie blue glow. Four figures stepped through the wormhole, which closed behind them with a snap. Four flashlight beams pierced through the black, searching eyes following the thin paths of light as they surveyed the surroundings. 

"Wow!" Sha're Jackson breathed. "This is cool!" 

Colonel Jack O'Neill suppressed a grin. It always amused him to hear American idioms from Sha're's mouth, her soft, slightly accented voice sounding almost anachronistic. Sha're brought something unique to the team, an innocent sense of wonder at anything new. Somehow, after all she'd been through, she had still managed to hold onto that childlike awe... 

"Sir?" Captain Samantha Carter's voice intruded on his thoughts. He turned around, and his eyes were greeted by a bright beam of light. 

"Gah! Carter! For cryin' out loud!" 

The beam lowered. "Sorry, sir." 

"There is damage here," Teal'c said as O'Neill blinked away the red blotches that danced across his field of vision. "It appears to have been done by Goa'uld weaponry." 

"Recently?" asked O'Neill. 

Teal'c shook his head. 

"No bodies," Carter pointed out. 

Sha're took out her video camera and began filming the room. "I've never seen any of these symbols before," she said. She turned around to face a doorway. "I wonder what that room is?" 

"You and Carter go check it out," said O'Neill. The women nodded and headed towards the door. 

The adjacent room was much brighter, rendering their flashlights unnecessary. Sha're held up her video camera, filming as she perused. "Sam, look at this!" she exclaimed suddenly, pointing at an object. "It's tagged!" She held up a tiny slip of paper marked with unknown writing. "They're all tagged! This must be someone's lab. They brought things back through the Stargate from other planets to study." She picked up another artifact. "Look! This is a claycone from Nagash with cuneiform symbols on it." 

"Looks like wind chimes," Carter said with a grin. Sha're just rolled her eyes. 

"I just wish there was someone here to explain," said Sha're. "Daniel – " She cut off suddenly, a wistful expression on her face. 

"He would have loved this," Carter finished. It had been hard on everyone, losing two members of their team; Daniel had been taken by Apophis to become a host, and Captain Charlie Kawalsky had been killed during their rescue attempt. She and O'Neill had only survived because Teal'c, then First Prime of Apophis, had switched sides in the middle of the battle and helped them escape. Sha're had joined SG-1 as Daniel's replacement, vowing to find her husband and save him. 

"How are you feeling?" Carter asked. 

Sha're pressed a hand to her abdomen; even though she was four months along, her pregnacy was barely evident. "I'm fine," she said. "I could keep working for several more months, but Janet says I should take some time off, and she _is_ the doctor." She paused. "And Daniel would want me to protect our child." Still, she felt guilty. She wasn't abandoning her search for Daniel, but she was losing precious time. 

Carter placed a gentle hand on the other woman's shoulder. "We'll keep searching, Sha're," she promised. "We'll find him." 

"Whoah!" O'Neill exclaimed, shining his flashlight on a strange-looking symbol that sat atop a statue. "Teal'c, you ever seen anything like this before?" 

Teal'c looked, and his eyes widened. "We must return to Earth as quickly as possible," he said. 

"Why?" asked O'Neill. "What is that?" 

"It is the symbol of korosh'nai," Teal'c explained. "It is a warning for any Goa'uld or Jaffa who may come through the Gate. It is placed on worlds that Goa'uld destroyers have wiped out and left contaminated. This planet's entire surface will be, in your terms, radioactive." 

"That's not good," O'Neill stated the obvious. "Teal'c, dial it up. I'll go get Jackson and Carter." 

"I wonder where this is from?" Sha're was saying when O'Neill poked his head in the door. 

"C'mon, kids. We're heading out." 

"Colonel, wait!" Sha're called after him as he turned to leave. "This is a collection of artifacts – some of them are from planets we visited. Just give me a few more minutes." 

Daniel had never been one for military discipline, thought O'Neill, and Sha're had certainly followed in his footsteps. "_Now_, Jackson. We're leaving." 

"Just a minute!" she insisted stubbornly. 

O'Neill threw up his arms in exasperation and left. Carter followed, giving Sha're an apologetic shrug. Sha're took off her backpack and began stuffing artifacts into it, determined to take something with her. Many of the objects she recognized, but one was like nothing she had ever seen before. Curious, she picked it up. 

"Dammit, Jackson, don't make me leave without you!" 

Well, the Colonel sounded pissed. Sha're closed her backpack and turned to leave before he could carry out his threat, but stopped as something caught her eye. 

There hadn't been a mirror there before - had there? 

And it was a mirror like no other – for in its image of the room, her reflection was conspicuously absent. She waved a hand in front of it, but still nothing. Cautiously she reached out and touched her hand to the mirror's surface – 

A strange tingling feeling spread through her body, like a mild electric shock. "Strange," she muttered, and shook her head. Maybe if they brought it back someone would be able to explain. 

"I found something!" she called to the others as she ran into the main room. "It's too big for me to..." She trailed off as she realized that there was no one there. "Sam?" she shouted uncertainly. "Colonel? Teal'c? Where are you?" How could they just disappear? 

A new though crossed her mind: What if they had left without her? The Colonel _had_ threatened, but it wasn't like him to really do something like that...or was it? 

Well, there was one way to find out. With a sigh, she dialed the Gate, then punched the code into her GDO. Taking one last glance around the room, she stepped through the Gate... 

...To be greeted on the other side by the sight of airmen with their weapons trained on her. 

"Hands on your head!" one of them ordered. 

A confused look on her face, Sha're complied. "What's going on?" she asked. 

"Identify yourself!" he demanded, not answering her question. 

"Sha're Jackson, SG-1," she replied. "Where's Colonel O'Neill?" 

"Sha're?" came a voice. 

Startled, she looked up, and started in disbelief. It wasn't possible... "Daniel? Daniel, how did you get here?" 

Sha're took a step towards him, but stopped suddenly when he pulled out a zat. 

"Daniel, what are you doing?" 

"Why have you come here?" he demanded coldly. "Why did Apophis send you?" 

_Apophis?_ she thought. What was going on? "Daniel, it's me, Sha're! Believe me," she pleaded tearfully. 

"Don't come any closer!" he warned when she lifted her foot to step forwards. "I know Sha're's in there somewhere, and I'm going to get her back." 

"Daniel, please – " she began. 

"I'm sorry, Sha're," he whispered. And then he fired. 

_"Pathetic," Eeyore said. "That's what it is. Pathetic."  
He turned and walked slowly down the stream for twenty yards, splashed across it, and walked slowly back on the other side. Then he looked at himself in the water again.  
"As I thought," he said. "No better from this side."  
- A.A. Milne, "Winnie-the-Pooh"_

"I don't see how this is possible," said Dr. Janet Fraiser. Of course, she had seen quite a bit of the impossible since joining the SGC; but even her previous encounters with alien technology couldn't explain their new visitor. "Her MRI came back clean – there's no Goa'uld...but then, there's no indication that there ever _was_ one." 

"What do you mean?" asked Daniel. He had been haunting the infirmary ever since Sha're arrived, and he didn't have the patience for answers that only brought more questions. 

"There's no entry scar," Janet explained. "Nothing to suggest that she's ever been a host." 

"So what are you saying? That she's not Sha're?" 

Janet shook her head. "I really don't know. I thought maybe they had changed someone's face to look like Sha're, but there aren't any scars to indicate plastic surgery. Then again, we don't know how the Goa'uld do plastic surgery." 

"What about cloning?" suggested Daniel. 

"I've considered that, too," Janet said. "But there's no evidence of the nanite technology that would be needed to age her this quickly." 

"So what you're saying is, maybe she _is_ Sha're." He'd never been this close to finding his wife, and now he didn't want to fill himself with false hope if it was all just a Goa'uld trick. 

"At this point," said Janet, "I honestly don't know." 

"Is she awake? Can I go talk to her?" 

"She is, but...there's something else I have to tell you." 

"What?" 

Janet took a deep breath, unsure how to break the news to him. "Daniel...she's pregnant." 

Sha're woke in a containment cell. The bare walls seemed to be closing in on her, consuming. She'd been in one of these cells before, but never as a prisoner. Held captive by the Goa'uld, yes – but being locked up by her own people gave her an entirely new sense of vulnerability. 

But she had seen Daniel... 

She shot up in sudden realization, nearly banging her head on the bunk above her. "Of course!" she said out loud. It all made sense now. She must have been hallucinating; that was the only explanation for this. She was hallucinating, and she thought she saw Daniel...They thought it was some sort of mind control, and acted accordingly. 

Of course, that didn't explain why they had their guns on her from the moment she stepped through the Gate. 

Deep in thought, she didn't her the door open, so she was genuinely startled when she heard a voice whisper, "Sha're?" 

Of course it had to be Daniel. 

She looked only long enough to see his face, then turned her back to him once again. "You're not real. You're a figment of my imagination. You're not real," she repeated like a mantra, her confidence that she was right diminishing with each repetition. 

Sha're cut herself off mid-sentence. "Who are you?" she asked. 

"Funny," he replied dryly. "I was about to ask you the same question." 

She sighed. "I'm sorry. I made a fool of myself. I believe I'm experiencing some kind of hallucination. Has Janet been able to figure it out?" 

Daniel stiffened. "You know Janet?" 

"What do you mean, do I know Janet? Is this some sort of test?" 

"You could...think of it that way." 

"I already told you," she said impatiently, "I'm Sha're Jackson. A member of SG-1." 

He gave a short, humorless laugh. "What kind of a sick joke is this?" he asked, more to himself than Sha're. "Maybe _I'm_ the one hallucinating. Maybe I'm dreaming the whole damn thing." 

"Daniel – " she began. 

"What?" he snapped back – 

And suddenly they were face-to-face, Sha're holding her hand to Daniel's cheek, tears streaming down hers. "Oh, Daniel, my Daniel," she whispered in Abydonian, and hearing her say his name like she did brought a lump to his throat. "I don't want this to be a dream. I don't think I could bear losing you again. Just tell me if you're real." 

He answered in the same language: "Would you believe I don't know anymore?" 

His lips hovered centimeters over hers, needing only the slightest movement to bridge the gap between them. He lowered his head slowly, gently, until they were almost touching... 

And then suddenly, with a violent motion, she pulled away. 

"No!" she screamed. "Stop lying to me! I finally found you and it's not you!" 

"Sha're, I don't understand – " 

"Don't touch me!" she cried, and Daniel pulled his hand back like she was a hot stove. He backed away as Sha're pulled her knees to her chest, curling into a little ball on the thin mattress. 

"What's going on?" Daniel demanded. "Sha're, what happened?" 

"Stop playing games with me," she said through her tears. "Just leave me alone." 

Well, he had anticipated many different scenarios, but this certainly wasn't one of them. 

"If that's what you really want," he said quietly. He turned to leave; but as he reached the door, he stopped. "Who's the father?" 

Sha're raised her head slightly, and her tears sparkled in the dim light. "Daniel...you're the father. No matter what they say." 

"I don't understand what's going on," Daniel said. The rest of the people at the table didn't look any less confused. "She said that she found me, but it wasn't me. And she said – she said she was carrying my child." 

"She's _pregnant_?" O'Neill exclaimed. 

"I'd guess about four months, give or take a few weeks," said Janet. 

"What else did she tell you?" General Hammond asked Daniel. 

"Well, first she thought she was hallucinating, that she didn't believe it was me." 

"Perhaps it is indeed a Goa'uld trick," said Teal'c. 

"Or maybe not," said Carter, the thoughtful look on her face warning the others of an imminent bout of technobabble. "What if Sha're is from an alternate universe?" 

She was met by five blank stares and two pairs of raised eyebrows. 

"The theory is, every time you make a choice, the timeline splits to form another reality where you chose differently. Theoretically, there are an infinite number of alternate realities, and Sha're could have come from any one of them." 

"That still doesn't explain how she got here," Hammond pointed out. 

"Could it be a Gate malfunction?" asked Daniel. 

Sam shook her head. "No, I doubt that. The Stargate uses space time to create a wormhole that allows us to travel across great distances. It doesn't take you to an alternate reality." 

"Perhaps the objects she brought would be helpful," Teal'c suggested. 

Minutes later, the contents of Sha're's backpack had been emptied onto the table. "Hey, look at this!" Daniel exclaimed. "These are artifacts from diverse cultures that we've come across. And they're all tagged. I can't read the writing." 

"You ever seen anything like this?" Carter asked, holding out an unusual device. 

Daniel took it from her and looked it over curiously. "I don't think so. But it looks like a control of some kind." 

"Until we know what it controls, I wouldn't play with it if I were you," O'Neill said. 

Daniel looked up from fiddling with the device. "How are we supposed to find out if we don't study it?" 

"Why don't we just ask her?" Carter wondered. 

"And if she doesn't tell us the truth?" O'Neill said. 

"We'll be no worse off than before." 

"Good point." 

"Dr. Fraiser?" Hammond said. 

"There's really no evidence that she is, or was, a Goa'uld," Janet said. "And Sam's theory is the best one we've had so far." 

Hammond nodded. "Bring her in." 

_Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.  
- Philip K. Dick_

The door opened, and Sha're spun around, almost hoping to see Daniel. But the false hope in her smile rapidly faded when she came face-to-face with another airman. 

"Come with me," he instructed, and Sha're followed him out the door. 

"Where are you taking me?" she asked. "Do they know what's wrong with me?" But her answer came in the form of an ominous silence. 

Nervously, she nearly tripped over the first step to the briefing room. Her cheeks burning, she ascended slowly, one small step at a time, unsure of what she would find at the top. 

It was a scene like so many times before: Hammond was seated at the head of the table, with Janet and the rest of SG-1 along the sides. All of them were staring at her. She hesitated uncertainly. 

"Mrs. Jackson," General Hammond broke the silence. "Have a seat." 

She nodded dumbly and moved towards an empty chair. O'Neill rose to pull it out from under the table. "Thank you," she whispered as she sat. 

O'Neill cleared his throat. "Sha're, we need to ask you some questions." 

"Of course," she replied. "Colonel, I would like to apologize for disobeying orders. I shouldn't have stayed behind. I guess it's my own fault that something on that planet has made me see things that aren't there." 

"That's what you think happened?" Janet asked. 

Sha're shrugged. "It is the only thing that makes sense. Daniel cannot possibly be here." 

"Actually, I am." 

Sha're whirled around to see Daniel, but this time she was prepared to deal with the illusion...if it was an illusion after all. She took a deep breath. "You don't exist," she challenged. 

"That's kinda what we brought you here about," O'Neill said as Daniel took a seat across the table from Sha're. "Can you tell us what happened over the past two years?" 

Sha're eyed Daniel warily, decided it was another test, and went through the whole story, from their first visit to Abydos to the naquadah mining operation to the formation of the SG teams after Apophis attacked. 

"And then Daniel was taken...as a host." 

"What?" Daniel exclaimed. "Sha're, after Apophis attacked, you were taken as a host. Since then I've been trying to find you." 

Sha're's eyes widened. "I don't understand." 

"We think you came through to an alternate reality," Carter said. "In our world, you were taken by the Goa'uld, not Daniel." 

"You're not hallucinating, Sha're," said Janet. "In fact, you're in perfect health. Daniel is real." 

"How is that possible?" Sha're asked. 

O'Neill raised his eyebrow. "We were hoping you could tell us that." He held out the control. "What does this do?" 

She took the object from him and eyed it curiously. "I'm not sure." She paused. "Wait. I only saw the mirror after I picked this up. There was a reflection of the room, but I couldn't see myself. When I touched it, I felt a shock, and then I came to find you, but you were gone." 

"The mirror must be the window between alternate realities," Carter surmised. 

Sha're's head was spinning. "I'm sorry. This is too much to take in at once." She got up and walked to the window. Silent tears blurred her vision as she looked down at the Stargate. She didn't turn when she heard footsteps behind her, but through her tears she could make out Daniel's reflection in the window. 

"Sha're...I – I know you probably don't want to talk to me," Daniel began. "But I need to apologize. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you." 

Sha're shook her head. She knew what he needed to hear. "Daniel, it's not your fault." 

A lump came to Daniel's throat, making his voice crack with emotion. "I've missed you so much." 

Sha're turned and buried her face in his shoulder as he pulled her arms around her protectively. For the first time, she let herself accept the fact that he was her Daniel, not a hallucination, not a Goa'uld. He pressed his lips to her hair, taking in her scent. And he knew he couldn't ever let her go. 

Suddenly, Sha're started to shake violently. As Daniel watched in horror, her face seemed to separate from her body, then jump back, the image wavering like a bad radio signal. 

"What's happening?" Sha're screamed. 

Everyone else jumped up from the table, eyes wide with shock. O'Neill looked ready to run Sha're's side, but instead wore the uncomfortable, guilty expression of someone who wants to help but isn't quite sure what to do. 

But as quickly as they had begun, the seizures stopped. Sha're gasped for breath. Daniel held her tightly. 

_No, no, I'm not gonna lose her again –_

"What was that?" he asked. 

The concern in Carter's eyes showed that she knew the answer. "Come on," she said. "We'd better get her to the infirmary." 

_There is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened.  
- Douglas Adams_

"Entropic cascade failure," Carter said. 

O'Neill raised an eyebrow. "In English, please?" 

"Well, basically, sir, the theory is that two of the same person can't exist in the same reality. The increased entropy generated could cause a temporal distortion." 

Sha're sat up on the bed, still shaking from her experience. "My baby! Is my baby all right?" 

Dr. Fraiser put a hand on Sha're's shoulder. "Sam?" 

"Since the baby doesn't exist in our universe, he should be fine for now," said Carter. "But if Sha're doesn't go back soon, her body won't be able to support the fetus. She could miscarry." 

"I'll do everything I can to keep that from happening," Janet said. "Don't worry. Just get some rest." 

Sha're nodded, casting a brief uncertain glance at Daniel. 

Daniel stepped towards the bed. "Sha're – " he began, but was cut off by the gentle pressure of Janet's hand on his chest. 

"She needs her sleep," Janet said. "You can talk to her later." 

Daniel nodded, a pained look coming over his features, and quickly turned and left. Carter followed close on his heels. 

"Daniel?" 

"What?" he asked, too quickly. He turned around to face Carter. He had pushed his glasses up onto his forehead and was wiping damp eyes with the back of his hand. 

"I was gonna go get some coffee." She left it as a statement, not a request, so he wouldn't feel obligated. 

He forced a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "How could I pass up a cup of coffee?" 

The SGC cafeteria wasn't quite what she had in mind, but it was close enough that he didn't feel guilty about leaving Sha're, and at this time of night it was empty enough to provide some measure of privacy. Anyway, lack of sleep always seemed to make cafeteria mud more palatable. They sipped black coffee in silence for minutes that seemed to stretch into hours. Finally Carter spoke. 

"I guess you've got a lot on your mind." 

Daniel looked up. "Yeah, I guess so." 

"Sometimes it helps to talk," she pressed gently. 

He shook his head. "I should've figured you had ulterior motives." 

"Daniel, I don't...You're my friend. I'm just trying to help you." _I know you've been trying to save Sha're and I know it'll hurt when she has to leave..._

He sighed. "She's different, Sam. It's like a mirror image: it's the same, but it's" - he waved his hands in a frustrated gesture - "backwards. I keep trying to tell myself that she's not Sha're...but I don't want to let her go." 

"You know she'll die if she stays here." 

"Isn't there any way to fix that?" 

"Not short of killing the Sha're in this universe." 

Daniel looked away. 

"She's still out there, Daniel. Don't forget that." She reached across the table to give his hand a friendly squeeze. "You can still save her. Don't give up now." 

"She smiled when he squeezed back. "Thanks, Sam," he said. "I guess I needed that." 

"Am I interrupting something?" 

Carter stiffened and pulled her hand away. "Sir?" 

"Doc Fraiser sent me to get you two," said O'Neill. "She said she found something you should see." 

So much for the pep talk. Coffee forgotten, Carter and Daniel followed him to the infirmary. 

"I re-analyzed the blood sample from Sha're," Janet said, pointing to the computer screen. Daniel stared at the charts blankly. The lines and patterns were all Greek to him. Janet explained. "I found trace amounts of naquadah in her blood." 

"The stuff the Stargate is made of?" asked Daniel. 

"Why do I get the feeling this is bad?" asked O'Neill. 

"We know the Goa'uld can sense the presence of naquadah," Janet continued. "The theory is that they have naquadah present in their bloodstreams. Now, this may or may not have to do with their abilities – " 

"So she _is_ a Goa'uld?" Daniel interrupted. 

"That can't be," said Carter. "The MRI was negative." 

"Would naquadah remain in the bloodstream of a former host?" asked Teal'c. 

"So you're saying she's lying?" said Daniel. "Why would she lie?" 

"Maybe she thought we wouldn't trust her if we knew she'd been a host," suggested O'Neill. 

"Maybe," Janet said. "But I have another theory. I ran some more tests, and I think I found the source of the naquadah in her blood." 

Sha're opened her eyes, and for a moment she couldn't recall where she was. Then she saw Daniel's face and the memories came flooding back. "Daniel," she whispered. 

He looked empty, alone, as if he had just lost the thing he loved the most. He spoke in her native tongue, which he knew was more comfortable for her than English. "Sha're, we need to talk." 

"About what?" she replied in the same language. 

"Dr. Fraiser checked your blood sample again. She found trace amounts of naquadah." 

Sha're tensed. "What?" 

"The element that the Stargate is made of. It's also found in the bloodstream of the Goa'uld." 

"I'm not a Goa'uld!" 

"We know you're not. That's why she did some more tests. She knows where the naquadah came from." He paused, swallowed hard. "What really happened, Sha're?" The look on his face said, _Please prove me wrong._

"No," she whispered. "No, that's not right. That can't be right." 

"Sha're, think! Something else happened, something you don't want to remember." 

Sha're buried her face in her hands. When she spoke, her voice was muffled, like the memories she had tried to bury away. "Daniel, it wasn't your fault. It wasn't your fault." 

_She was captured. _

Colonel O'Neill had told her to run, but she didn't listen. She had seen Daniel. And she knew she might never have another chance... 

When she woke from the zat blast, she was in a cell. She tried to move, but her arms were shackled to the wall. She turned her head at the sound of a deep voice laughing. "Daniel!" 

"I am Klorel, son of Apophis," came the demon's voice from her husband's lips. "Your concern for my host is amusing. Surely you do not think he could still be alive." 

Sha're shook her head. "Fight, my husband. You must fight the demon. I know you are strong!" 

The laughter grew louder, drowning out her desperate cries. The man who was no longer her Daniel came closer. "This one has memories of you. You are very beautiful. It is a pity he no longer has you for himself." He smiled, and the gesture seemed evil and alien. "But now, you are mine." 

He reached out a hand to touch her breast, and she pulled away, a sick feeling twisting her stomach. As he approached her again, she drew herself further back into the wall. 

There was nowhere to hide. 

"Daniel," she pleaded. 

"He cannot hear you." 

Sha're screamed and squeezed her eyes shut, his laugher ringing in her ears as he forced her thighs apart. 

_We are an impossibility in an impossible universe.  
- Ray Bradbury_

"So it is your child," she finished. 

He covered his face with his hands. "Oh, God, Sha're. I'm so sorry." 

She reached out to touch him. "I don't blame you. You were being used as much as I." 

"And we're not even...who we think we are...are we?" 

"What do you mean?" 

"You're not _my_ Sha're." 

"Nor are you my Daniel. But I was glad to see you again." 

"So was I." 

Suddenly her grip tightened as another seizure overcame her. "Daniel!" she cried. 

He watcher her helplessly as her image shook, and knew that he had to give her up. "We've gotta get you home. 

"Your General Hammond gave permission for me to return home?" Sha're asked. 

Daniel nodded. "He knows you're not a spy." 

"He does want us to bring back that mirror thingee, though," said O'Neill. 

"Thingee?" asked Carter, amused. 

"It's a technical term!" 

Sha're smiled. "You are so much like my Colonel O'Neill." 

O'Neill raised an eyebrow. "Really?" 

"And my Sam. Although this Teal'c is more talkative than the one in my reality." 

Everyone laughed except Teal'c, who, missing the joke completely, maintained his stoic pose. 

"Chevron Seven locked!" came the technician's voice from the control room, and the Gate whooshed open. 

"SG-1, you have a go!" said General Hammond. 

And the five members of SG-1 stepped through the Gate. 

Daniel and Sha're stood before the mirror, holding hands. The lack of a reflection was more than disconcerting. Daniel's eyes moved from the mirror to Sha're's face. 

"I guess this is goodbye," he whispered in Abydonian. 

O'Neill coughed. "Okay, kids," he said, giving a hand signal to the others. He and Carter turned to go to the other room, and Teal'c, raising an eyebrow, followed. 

Sha're raised her head and gave Daniel a brief kiss. "I'll miss you," she said. 

"I'm not your Daniel," he replied. "But I hope you find him." 

"I hope you find your Sha're," she said, trying to swallow the lump in her throat. Bracing herself for the shock, she pressed her palm to the mirror's surface. In a moment she was on the other side. Looking back through, she saw Daniel watching her, tears in his eyes. With one last longing look through the glass, she held up the control and pressed a button. The surface shimmered and faded into the rock, like water sinking into the ground. 

The mirror was gone, but her Daniel was still alive. And with that thought in her mind, she turned her back and left the mirror forever. 

"Jackson!" shouted her Colonel O'Neill. "Where the hell have you been?" 

Sha're shook her head. "Colonel," she said, "let's go home." 

THE END 


End file.
